Chicagoland Results - Truex Wins and 3 Teams get a Pass to Round 2*!!!! 1 Down 2 to Go in Round 1!!!!

Race 1 of the Flirter Round is in the books and we had a lot of action.  

THE TOP 7:

TOP PICK:  Rusty (2nd), Dust (3rd), and Ideal (8th) took race winner Truex and are pretty much guaranteed a spot in Round 2.  The only way they can be eliminated is if 5 other teams also get wins and have a higher point total at the end of the race in Dover.  

Shepard has a strong points day and remains in 1st.  Same with Lets Go who stays in 4th.

The DOOTW goes to Fast who earned 29 points out of their Johnson pick.  Tough start for these rookies as they drop 3 spots to 5th, but they are still in the TOP 7.

Skidmarks has a solid points day, but still drops down a spot to 6th.  

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN:

Commissioner Note -  The teams on the outside looking in will be chasing 6th Skidmarks as it stands right now because he is the lowest point total of the TOP 7 without a win.  Ideal runs 8th but the win in race 1 will most likely get him through to the Teaser Round.  

Although Pursuit is running 7th (actually moving up a spot this week), he finds himself 4 points away from a Teaser Round spot.  

Spinning took the BSOTW award getting only 21 points out of her Dillon pick.  She drops 6 spots to 9th and is now 16 points out of a Teaser Round spot after race 1 of the Flirter.

Beef had a solid points day but drops a spot to 10th and 18 points away from Skidmarks. 

Chonk took Elliott who had the best point day until a post race penalty cost him 15 valuable points.  He sits in 11th and 22 points out at the moment. 

Good thing the Teaser Round doesn't start this week!

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

New Hampshire this week on Sunday.

In 2 races we will eliminate 4 teams for Round 1; then 2 more in Round 2; then 2 more in Round 3.

Remember that Chase points accumulate from Chicago to Texas... or until the last 2 races.

Reminder: Pursuit had a DQ in Kentucky and unfortunately had to burn his 2nd Truex pick.

I like how those eliminated are still picking drivers... I wish I would have as well last week.

Good Luck on Sunday!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin 

As the Richmond Dust Settles, Bring on the Chase!

Bring on the CHASE!!!

There was plenty of drama and some shuffling in the Elite 8 during Richmond, but no new teams punched their ticket into the Chase.  We say goodbye to Penguin, Kiss, Graz, Rudd, Piston, and Sexy, but we are also saying hello to 11 teams that made the Chase this season!  Good luck and may the best team win!

• Shepard finishes 1st and grabs the 1020 points + 16 Bonus Points and is our top seed.
• Fast finished 3rd to get 1013 points but with 20 Bonus points earned during the season they will be our 2nd seed.
• Spinning finished 2nd and gets 1016 + 7 Bonus points for the 3rd spot.
• Lets go was 4th.  1010 +11 Bonus points for 4th.
• Skidmarks finished 6th but is our 5th seed when you add his Bonus Points.  1006 + 12.
• Rusty was 7th but will be our 6th seed.  1004 + 13.
• Dust finished 5th but had low bonus points and will be our 7th seed.  1008 + 7.
• Pursuit is our 8th seed.  1002 + 12.
• Chonk, Ideal and Beef are our Wild Cards and will start with 1000 points.

1st Round "The Flirter" Rules Refresher:

• First round (races 27-29) - “The Flirter”

          * The top seven teams based on points accumulated during races 27-29 will advance to the 2nd round

          * Wins automatically advance a team (in theory) and add three extra points to that team’s total to start the next round

             § If every team has a win(s), teams will be eliminated according to the tiebreaker rule below

          * The balance of teams will be filled in according to points accumulated in the three-race Flirter Round

             § The first tiebreaker is number of wins in the current round

             § Second tiebreaker is number of wins during the entire Chase

             § Third tiebreaker is number of wins during the regular season

             § Fourth tiebreaker is number of points during the regular season

             § Fifth tiebreaker is whoever got their first win first

             § Sixth tiebreaker is whoever did better in MENCS regular season race #1, then #2, and so on

Complete CHASE Rules Refresher:

THE NFCL CHASE

8) Eligibility for the NFCL Chase and the Chase format will be as follows:

• The top eight teams in points after the NFCL/MENCS regular season will qualify for the NFCL Chase
• Any team with three or more wins during the first 26 races will automatically qualify for the NFCL Chase
• If a team is outside of the top eight in points after 26 races but has three or more wins, they will be added to the Chase as a Wild Card
• Points for the eligible teams entering the NFCL Chase will be reset to start the ten race playoff as follows:

                1st place team - 1020 points

                2nd place team - 1016 points

                3rd place team - 1013 points

                4th place team - 1010 points

                5th place team - 1008 points

                6th place team - 1006 points

                7th place team - 1004 points

                8th place team - 1002 points

• Each NFCL Chase team in the top eight will receive three bonus points for each win accumulated during the 26 race regular season to start the Chase

          * E.g., if a team finishes 6th in points and has 2 wins during the regular season, that team will start the Chase with 1012 points (1006 + 3 + 3)

• Each NFCL Chase team in the top eight will receive one bonus point for each segment win accumulated during the regular season

         * E.g., if a team finishes 6th in points, and has 2 wins during the regular season, and has 5 segment wins, that team will start the Chase with 1017 points (1006 + 3 + 3 + 5)

• Wild Card teams are not eligible for bonus points and will each start the Chase with 1000 points
• The NFCL Chase is a four round format starting at Chicagoland (race 27) and continuing through Homestead (race 36)

          * A win in any round automatically advances that team to the next round (in theory)

             § Wins result in three bonus points added to that team’s total to start the next round during the Chase (if that team qualifies for the next round)

             § Segment wins result in bonus points added to that team’s total to start the next round during the Chase (if that team qualifies for the next round)

          * Only seven teams will advance after the first round

          * Two teams will be eliminated after the second round

          * Two teams will be eliminated after the third round

          * Only three teams will enter the fourth and final round for the NASCAR Fantassy Cup

• First round (races 27-29) - “The Flirter”

          * The top seven teams based on points accumulated during races 27-29 will advance to the 2nd round

          * Wins automatically advance a team (in theory) and add three extra points to that team’s total to start the next round

             § If every team has a win(s), teams will be eliminated according to the tiebreaker rule below

          * The balance of teams will be filled in according to points accumulated in the three-race Flirter Round

             § The first tiebreaker is number of wins in the current round

             § Second tiebreaker is number of wins during the entire Chase

             § Third tiebreaker is number of wins during the regular season

             § Fourth tiebreaker is number of points during the regular season

             § Fifth tiebreaker is whoever got their first win first

             § Sixth tiebreaker is whoever did better in MENCS regular season race #1, then #2, and so on

• Second round (races 30-32) - “The Teaser”

          * The top five teams based on points accumulated during races 27-32 will advance to the 3rd round

          * Wins automatically advance teams; same format for filling in the balance of teams and tiebreakers applies

• Third round (races 33 & 34) - “The Fluffer”

          * The top three teams based on points accumulated during races 27-34 will advance to the final round

          * Wins automatically advance teams; same format for balance of filling in the teams and tiebreakers applies

• Fourth round - (races 35 & 36) - “The Finisher”

          * The three teams entering the Finisher Round will have their points reset to 2000

              § Three bonus points for each win in the previous Fluffer round will be awarded as will segment bonus points

          * Wins in the Finisher round are worth three bonus points which will be added to their final total at the end of the round

          * Segment wins in the Finisher round are worth one point which will be added to their final total at the end of the round

          * The team with the most points after races 35 and 36 is the NFCL winner

             § Same format for tiebreakers applies

             § Please note that the MENCS modifies their points system for their final race; our NFCL will award whatever points that are posted in the official race results on NASCAR.com

This is the final tally for the regular season.

Darlington Results - Ruling on Hamlin's Encumbered Win - 3 More Get Locked IN!!!!

We have a little controversy in our 2nd to last race until the Chase, but NASCAR has presented a new scenario to us that isn't clearly covered in our rules with this whole encumbered win thing.

After a lengthy discussion on Doc Beef's Birthday, the Rules Committee has come back with a ruling on the Hamlin Encumbered win.

The 3 that chose Hamlin WILL get credit for the win, so congratulation to Dust, Skid and Chonk for all locking into the Chase this year!  However, they will get the 25 point deduction and will not be eligible for the 3 Bonus Points that usually come with earning a race win.  We will have a variance on the points standings on the site and reality so I hope you have all been paying attention.

You can bet that an encumbered win will not count next year, but this ruling in my opinion is fair and the right call for our League this year.  Thank you Rules Committee and Happy Birthday Beef!

Where does that leave us going into the last race before the Chase???

LOCKED IN:  CHASE HEALTH

Shepard Racing - 3 Wins, Tied for 1st, and 16+ Bonus Points.  Shepard is a Front Runner for sure!
Spinning Wheels - 1 win, tied for 1st, 7+ Bonus Points, locked in the week and looking like a top contender!
Fast Wheels - 4 wins, Running 4th, and 20+ Bonus Points, these rookies are definitely in the mix and have to also be favorites to take this thing home!
Eat My Dust Enterprises - 3 wins, running 5th, 7+ Bonus Points, locked in this week and has plenty of top drivers left!
Skidmarks - 2 wins, running 6th, 12+ Bonus Points, 27 points ahead of 9th and locked in this week!
High Speed Pursuit - 3 wins, in 8th place by 18 points, 12+ Bonus Points, he will need to hold off some desperate teams who will no doubt be throwing everything they have to get into the Elite 8.
Chonk Motorsports - 3 wins and 36 points out of the Elite 8... locked in this week and the Hamlin penalty will make it tough for him to be eligible for Bonus points, but he is in the Chase!
Dr Beef Motorsports - 3 Wins and will be coasting into the chase with no Bonus Points but with plenty of top drivers left.
Ideal Racing - 3 wins and is also coasting into the Chase.

LOOKING LIKE A LOCK: CHASE HEALTH

Lets Go Racing Boys - 2 wins, running 3rd, 11+ Bonus Points, 54 points ahead of 9th it would take a very unfortunate but unlikely scenario to keep her out of the Chase.
Rusty Truck - 2 wins, running 7th, 13+ Bonus Points, 36 points ahead of 9th

STILL HAVE A PULSE: CHASE HEALTH

Kiss The Wall Racing - 2 wins and 23 points out of the Elite 8... 1 to go and still has 2 options on how he can get in... Needs a strong week in Richmond and some luck but it still could be worse.
Fat Penguin - 18 points out of the Elite 8... will need a strong showing in Richmond and a lot of luck.

NEED A MIRACLE: CHASE HEALTH


Graziano Motorsports - 0 wins and 56 points away from the Elite 8... he's not mathematically eliminated but he definitely needs a miracle.


OFFICIALLY ELIMINATED: CHASE HEALTH

Retired Rudd Fan - Tough season for one of this year's Rookies.  She just never got it going this year, but we hope she'll be back again for another try.
Piston Pumpin' Racing -  Team Piston had a good start this year but quickly fell behind and never regained their form.
Sexy Chicken - This rookie had it going on early but a back to back 1 point finish and DQ kicked him off track and he never recovered.  Better luck next year you Sexy Chicken!

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Richmond tomorrow night and our last race before the Chase!

We currently have 9 teams locked in and 2 not-locked-in teams occupying spots in the Elite 8.  So it looks like we could have between 11 and 13 teams battling it out for all the marbles.

I personally will be hoping for a miracle to get myself in, but in reality even if I get it I won't have any top drivers to choose in order to move on.  It will be fun to see what strategies everyone chooses at Richmond and how it will all play out in the final regular season race.  There is still plenty to play for in Richmond, so strap yourselves in and drive until you hear glass and smell sh*t amigos!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Bristol Results - Kyle Busch Wins Again Dammit! Kenseth was TOP PICK - CHASE HEALTH UPDATE with 2 to GOOOOO!!!!!

Bristol was our 3rd to last race before the Chase begins and Fast and Graziano had the TOP PICK of Kenseth.  Kenseth won stage 2 and grabs Fast another nice Bonus Point for the Chase.  Graziano most likely will not be in the running for Bonus Points this year.  So no huge news there, but with just 2 races to go the CHASE HEALTH picture is a lot more clear after Bristol.

LOCKED IN:  CHASE HEALTH

Shepard Racing - 3 Wins, Tied for #1, and 16+ Bonus Points.  Shepard is a Front Runner for sure!
Fast Wheels - 4 wins, Running 3rd, and 20+ Bonus Points, these rookies are definitely in the mix and have to also be favorites to take this thing home!
High Speed Pursuit - 3 wins, in 8th place by 29 points, 12+ Bonus Points, he will need to hold off some desperate teams who will no doubt be throwing everything they have to get into the Elite 8.
Dr Beef Motorsports - 3 Wins, Bonus points aren't completely out of the question, but most likely are... 66 points away from the Elite 8.
Ideal Racing - 3 wins, He started Dibenetto last week so his strategy is clear... hell I can't even spell it right... Dibenedetto.

LOOKING LIKE A LOCK: CHASE HEALTH

Spinning Wheels - 1 win, tied for 1st, 7+ Bonus Points, 80 points ahead of the 9th place team
Lets Go Racing Boys - 2 wins, running 4th, 11+ Bonus Points, 56 points ahead of 9th
Eat My Dust Enterprises - 2 wins, running 5th, 7+ Bonus Points, 44 points ahead of 9th
Skidmarks - 2 wins, running 6th, 12+ Bonus Points, 38 points ahead of 9th
Rusty Truck - 2 wins, running 7th, 13+ Bonus Points, 36 points ahead of 9th

STILL HAVE A PULSE: CHASE HEALTH

Kiss The Wall Racing - 2 wins and 30 points out of the Elite 8... 2 to go and has 2 options on how he can get in... it could be worse.
Chonk Motorsports - 2 wins and 36 points out of the Elite 8... same situation as Kiss.
Fat Penguin - 1 win and 29 points out of the Elite 8... I wonder if Pursuit will take bribes and start Jeffrey Earnhardt for us.

NEED A MIRACLE: CHASE HEALTH

Retired Rudd Fan - 0 wins and 67 points away from the Elite 8... she needs a miracle.
Graziano Motorsports - 0 wins and 73 points away from the Elite 8... he needs a miracle.
Piston Pumpin' Racing -  1 win and 99 points out... they need 2 wins which would be a miracle.
Sexy Chicken - 1 win and 105 points out - he needs 2 wins which would also be a miracle.

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Looks like we have Hurricane Harvey weekend off and Darlington will be 2 Sundays from now.

I always hope for all teams to make the Chase, but this is the time of year where reality sets in... While nobody has been officially eliminated, I think some teams including your own commish, Fkt Penguin, are ready to use up all their stuff and throw that last Hail Mary to try to get into the Chase.  We all know those plans seldom work and we will start to see some eliminations next week.

I'm still hoping for a miracle as I am sure you all are as well...

On the flip side and on the side that really matters, we will see more teams get locked in and the playoff picture will start to appear.  Congrats to those locked in and to those who are still looking strong.  Getting in is one thing, but how do you move on to each round will be the focus once you get are in.

Who do you think will take it all this year?  I'm interested to hear from you mofos.

Good luck in Darlington 10 days from now!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Michigan Results - Lots of Shuffling - 3 To Go!

Same situation as last week, but 11 teams in reach of the Elite 8 this week.  Look at all that GREEN on the BONUS Points... but only 2 of those teams sit in the Elite 8.

3 races to go... do you save, push hard, pray, or just curl up in a ball and cry yourself to sleep with a Fat Penguin?

Bristol tomorrow night.

Good luck everyone!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Watkins Glen Results - Suarez was Top Pick - 4 to Go!

Congrats to Shepard, Pursuit and Rudd for the Stage 2 win!  Still just 5 teams locked in and 11 to 12 teams battling for the Elite 8!  6 Teams have 2 wins and are looking to lock in ASAP... sadly if you don't have Kyle Busch or Truex Jr. left it doesn't look good to get another win...

Good luck in Michigan!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Pocono Results - We are Bunching Up!

Quick update to day everyone... look at all those teams within striking distance of the Elite 8 and those Bonus Points for the Chase!  I think you all know what your Chase Health is and what you need to do to get in playoffs this year... The year of the Penguin maybe 2018...